Police Stories
When the cars were blue
My Intention
My intention here was to tell the truth about my experiences as a Philadelphia cop in the mid 80’s. I also intended to always use the names of the actual participants in the events and to report the facts as I remembered them. However, some of the acts of some of the people I worked with were so horrendous, I just won’t list their names unless I know they are dead.
Some of these stories are quite sad, some amusing and some extremely personal, and if they put me in a bad light, so be it. As I once overheard Billy Keyes saying:” Jimmy always tells the truth, whether it does him any good or not”.
There is also one other name I won’t list. She is retired, widowed and living in Broomall, Delaware County, at least the last I heard. She was originally from the 12th District, and like many cops from that area they fled Philadelphia as soon as they could. I’m sure anyone that reads through this blog will guess why I haven’t published her real name. I pray God blesses and protects her all the rest of her days.
When I joined the Philadelphia Police Department, I knew the courts didn’t work and that the people wouldn’t support us – but I had no idea some of my worst enemies would be other cops.
“Jim, if God had let you stay, you might have been killed” “A lot of days, I wish I had been”.
– my supervisor at another job
The Stories
“To be a human being among people and to remain one forever, no matter in what circumstances, not to grow despondent and not to lose heart—that’s what life is all about, that’s its task.”
-Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Questions or Comments
Feel free to send me a message or ask a general question using this form, whether you're interested in cop stories, curious about the PPD, or want to hear police stories from the days when cars were blue. I will do my best to respond to you soon!